Almost half of gay and bisexual men frequently have sex while drunk , a new survey suggests.

The poll put the figure at 49% after recording that 94% of the respondents said they have had sex at least once while drunk.

The responses emerged in the Drug Survey 2014 for the Gay Times, who surveyed 1,000 readers online.

The GT poll also found 54% of gay and bisexual men questioned have had sex without a condom while under the influence of alcohol, 62% thought alcohol would make them more likely to have group sex and 73% have had sex with a stranger while inebriated.

In response to questions on drugs, 76% replied they had used them recreationally while 31% said they spent between £100 and £300 on average every month on illegal substances.

When asked if recreational drugs would make them more likely to have sex with a stranger, 60% said it would.

The youngest age in response to a question asking when they first took recreational drugs was nine while the oldest was 50.

And some 10% of those questioned in the survey did not know their HIV status.

GT editor Darren Scott said: "The GT drug survey came about because we were bemused at the amount of news stories in the mainstream media about gay and bisexual men and drugs.

"It seemed, to me at least, that this had become an accepted misconception of gay lifestyle with little fact to back it up. Was the term 'chem sex' actually a real thing? Had it just become real because it was mentioned so often?

"We set out to ask our readers to be as frank as possible about their lifestyle choices so that, at last, there would be some facts to either backup or debunk the many notions that are frequently alluded to.

"What we found was fascinating, and sometimes upsetting, but if just one person now takes extra care when mixing sex with addictive substances in future, then we know we've done something right."

Justin Harbottle, of the Terrence Higgins Trust, told the magazine: "It's been known for some time that LGBT people - and particularly gay men - are more likely to use recreational drugs than the general population, but these results highlight just how complex the situation is.

"While more than three quarters of respondents said they'd used drugs, there's a big difference between poppers - 50% - and crystal meth -10%.

"It's clear that many gay men are making choices about their drug use, but what's concerning is the emergence of the relatively-new trinity of mephedrone, G and crystal meth - the three drugs most commonly linked to 'chem sex'."

The survey took place between July 3 and 4 and is published today for the first time in GT.